Method and apparatus for controlling a welding system

ABSTRACT

A wireless control system ( 10 ) for a welding system ( 12 ) including an electrical control interface ( 18 ). The control system ( 10 ) may generally comprise a foot pedal ( 14 ) and a receiver ( 16 ). The foot pedal ( 14 ) may include a pivotable housing ( 20 ), a sensing element ( 22 ) operable to sense a position of the pivotable housing ( 20 ) and provide a corresponding pedal position signal, and a transmitter ( 24 ) operable to wirelessly transmit the pedal position signal. The receiver ( 16 ) may include an antenna ( 36 ) operable to wirelessly receive the pedal position signal generated by the foot pedal ( 14 ), a processor ( 38 ) operable to process the received pedal position signal, and a connector ( 40 ) operable to connect with the electrical control interface ( 18 ) associated with the welding system ( 12 ) to provide the processed pedal position signal thereto.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/822,847, entitled “REMOTE CONTROL PEDAL APPARATUSESFOR WELDING ASSEMBLIES AND METHODS OF USING THE PEDAL APPARATUSES,”filed Aug. 18, 2006. The identified provisional application isincorporated herein by specific reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and apparatusesfor controlling welding systems. More particularly, various embodimentsof the invention provide methods and apparatuses for wirelesslycontrolling welding systems with remote foot pedals.

2. Description of the Related Art

Welding systems, such as tungsten inert gas (TIG), metal inert gas(MIG), and shielded metal arc (SMAW) welding systems, may be controlledby foot pedals to enable operators to vary welding parameters.Typically, foot pedals are difficult to interface with welding systemsor are connected to welding systems by cables-thereby inhibitingoperator movement and pedal use.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention provide a distinct advance in theart of welding system control. More particularly, various embodiments ofthe invention provide methods and apparatuses for wirelessly controllingwelding systems with remote foot pedals.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides a receiver operableto be utilized with a welding system including an electrical controlinterface. The receiver may generally comprise an antenna, a processorcoupled with the antenna, and a connector coupled with the processor.The antenna is operable to wirelessly receive a pedal position signalgenerated by a remote foot pedal, the processor is operable to processthe received pedal position signal, and the connector is operable toconnect with the electrical control interface associated with thewelding system to provide the processed pedal position signal thereto.

In some embodiments, the present invention provides a wireless controlsystem for a welding system including an electrical control interface.The control system may generally comprise a foot pedal and a receiver.The foot pedal may include a pivotable housing, a sensing elementoperable to sense a position of the pivotable housing and provide acorresponding pedal position signal, and a transmitter operable towirelessly transmit the pedal position signal. The receiver may includean antenna operable to wirelessly receive the pedal position signalgenerated by the foot pedal, a processor operable to process thereceived pedal position signal, and a connector operable to connect withthe electrical control interface associated with the welding system toprovide the processed pedal position signal thereto.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not necessarily restrictive of the invention claimed. Theaccompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a partof the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the general description, serve to explain the principlesof the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Various embodiments of the present invention are described in detailbelow with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a foot pedal configured inaccordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the foot pedal of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of some components of the foot pedal ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of some components of a receiverconfigured in accordance with various embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a connector operable to be utilized by thereceiver of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an environmental view of the foot pedal of FIGS. 1-4 andreceiver of FIG. 5 being associated with a welding system;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of another foot pedal configured inaccordance with various embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of the foot pedal of FIG. 7.

The drawing figures do not limit the present invention to the specificembodiments disclosed and described herein. The drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearlyillustrating various embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of various embodiments of theinvention references the accompanying drawings which illustrate specificembodiments in which the invention can be practiced. The embodiments areintended to describe aspects of the invention in sufficient detail toenable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. Otherembodiments can be utilized and changes can be made without departingfrom the scope of the present invention. The following detaileddescription is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense. Thescope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims,along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims areentitled.

Referring initially to FIG. 5, various embodiments of the presentinvention provide a wireless control system 10 operable to control oneor more functions of a welding system 12. The control system 10 mayinclude a foot pedal 14 operable to wirelessly transmit a pedal positionsignal to a receiver 16. The receiver 16 is operable to connect with anelectrical control interface 18 associated with the welding system 12 toenable the welding system 12 to be wirelessly controlled throughoperation of the foot pedal 14.

The welding system 12 may be any welding system including the electricalcontrol interface 18 to enable the reception of an electrical signal forcontrol of one or more functions of the welding system 12. For example,the welding system 12 may be a tungsten inert gas (TIG), metal inert gas(MIG), and/or shielded metal arc (SMAW) welding system. In someembodiments, the welding system 12 is a TIG system and the electricalcontrol interface 18 is an amperage control interface operable toreceive a control signal to vary the output current of the weldingsystem 12. For example, the welding system 12 may be a Syncrowave® 350LX TIG/STICK welding system manufactured by Miller Electric Mfg Co.including the electrical control interface 18 to couple with a cableassociated with a control device such as a wired foot pedal. Thus, thecontrol system 10 may be adapted to replace a wired foot pedalassociated with the welding system 12. However, the control system 10may be adapted to control any function of any welding system having anelectrical control interface.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the foot pedal 14 may include a pivotablehousing 20, a sensing element 22 coupled with the pivotable housing 20,and a transmitter 24 coupled with the sensing element 22. The sensingelement 22 is operable to sense a position of the pivotable housing 20and provide a corresponding pedal position signal and the transmitter 24is operable to wirelessly transmit the pedal position signal forreception by the receiver 16. The various elements of the foot pedal 14may be discrete elements coupled together utilizing wired or wirelessconnections. In some embodiments, portions of the foot pedal 14, such asthe sensing element 22 and transmitter 24, may be integral.

The pivotable housing 20 is operable to be at least partially pivoted byan operator to generate the pedal position signal for use by thereceiver 16. In some embodiments, the pivotable housing 20 may include abase portion 20 a and a pivoting portion 20 b. The base portion 20 a maybe configured to remain stationary, even when the pivoting portion 20 bis pivoted, such as by including or utilizing weights, flared surfaces,anti-skid elements, surface fasteners, coupling elements, combinationsthereof, and the like. The base portion 20 a may also be adapted tohouse various elements associated with the foot pedal 14, such as thesensing element 22 and transmitter 24. In some embodiments, the baseportion 20 a may include an extendible elevator operable to raise aportion of the housing 20 to facilitate pivoting of the pivoting portion20 b. For example, the extendible elevator may include a U-shapedbracket that is operable to swivel from a recess in the bottom of thebase portion 20 a to elevate the housing 20.

The pivoting portion 20 b is pivotably coupled with the base portion 20a and is operable to be at least partially pivoted by the operator. Forexample, the operator may press on a portion of the pivoting portion 20b to pivot the pivoting portion 20 b in relation to the base portion 20a. In some embodiments, the base portion 20 a may present a generallyrectangular configuration and the pivoting portion 20 b may be presentedan angled configuration to enable the pivoting portion 20 b to easilypivot in relation to the base portion 20 a. However, the pivotablehousing 20 may present any configuration that is operable to be at leastpartially pivoted or otherwise depressed by the operator, includingconventional configurations.

The pivotable housing 20 may be formed from various materials, includingmetals, plastics, combinations thereof, and the like. In someembodiments, the pivotable housing 20 may be comprised of aluminum,steel, or other similar materials to provide rigidity and stability.Alternatively, the pivotable housing 20 may be comprised of polycarbonate or other fiber materials to minimize interference with signalsgenerated by the transmitter 24. Utilization of poly carbonate and othersimilar materials may reduce or eliminate the need for antennas externalto the housing 20.

The sensing element 22 is coupled with the pivotable housing 20 and isoperable to sense a position of the pivotable housing 20 and provide thecorresponding pedal position signal. Thus, for example, the sensingelement 22 may sense the extent to which the pivotable housing 20 hasbeen pivoted by the operator, such as the amount the pivoting portion 20b has been pivoted in relation to the stationary base portion 20 a, andprovide the corresponding pedal position signal.

In some embodiments, the sensing element 22 may include a rotarypotentiometer 26. The potentiometer 26 may be coupled with the pivotablehousing 20 to rotate as the pivotable housing 20 pivots. As thepotentiometer 26 rotates, the resistance it provides to a suppliedcurrent changes to produce the pedal position signal for transmission bythe transmitter 24. The potentiometer 26 may be coupled with thepivotable housing 20 in any manner to rotate or otherwise actuate as thehousing 20 is pivoted. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the footpedal 14 may include a spring-biased belt 28 that is coupled with thebase portion 20 a and pivoting portion 20 b. As the pivoting portion 20b pivots, the belt 28 moves across the potentiometer 26 to rotate thepotentiometer 26. In some embodiments, the potentiometer 26 may presenta non-rotary configuration and additionally or alternatively includelinear, spindle operated, panel mount, switched, multi-turn, multi-gang,sealed or unsealed potentiometers. Further, in some embodiments, thesensing element 22 may provide potentiometer-like functionality todetect the position of the pivotable housing 20 without including apotentiometer.

However, the potentiometer 26 may be coupled with the pivotable housing20 in any manner, including geared configurations, and is not limited tobelt-type configurations. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, thepotentiometer 26 may couple with the pivotable housing 20 using a gearassembly 50. The gear assembly 50 may include a pinion 50 a and a rack50 b. The pinion 50 a is fixedly connected to the potentiometer 26 whichmay be fixedly coupled to the base portion 20 a of the housing 20. Therack 50 b is fixedly coupled to the pivoting portion 20 b of the housing20 such that the rack 50 b rotates the pinion 50 a—and thus thepotentiometer 26 itself—as the pivoting portion 20 b is pivoted. Therack 50 b may be curved to present a proper interface with the pinion 50a to ensure that that the pinion 50 a is properly rotated when thepivoting portion 20 is pivoted.

The sensing element 22 may additionally or alternatively include rotaryencoders, piezoelectric sensors, linear voltage detection transmitters,pressure transducers, infrared sensors, optical sensors, magneticsensors, switches, rheostats, combinations thereof, and the like, tosense the position of the pivotable housing 20 and/or the extent towhich the housing 20 is pivoted. In some embodiments, the sensingelement 22 may be actuated by linkages or other mechanical couplingsassociated with the gear assembly 50, as is illustrated in FIG. 7. Thus,the sensing element 22 may include any element or combination ofelements operable to sense the position of the pivotable housing 20 andprovide the corresponding pedal position signal. The pedal positionsignal provided by the sensing element 22 may be any analog and/ordigital signal.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2-3 and 7, in some embodiments, the foot pedal14 may also include a limit switch 30 separate from the sensing element22. The limit switch 30 is operable to be functioned when the pivotablehousing 20 is at least partially pivoted and provide a correspondingsignal. Thus, the limit switch 30 may detect when the pivotable housing20 is not being pivoted by the operator (i.e., when the housing 20 is atrest) and when the pivotable housing 20 is being pivoted by the operator(i.e., when the housing 20 is not at rest). For example, the limitswitch 30 may be associated with a contact connected to the pivotingportion 20 b of the housing 20 such that as the pivoting portion 20 bpivots, the contact moves away from the limit switch 30 to enable thelimit switch 30 to close and provide a corresponding signal indicatingthat the pivotable housing 20 has been pivoted by the operator.

The foot pedal 14 may include an integral power source 34 to power thetransmitter 24 and/or other components to enable the foot pedal 14 tooperate without any external wires. The power source 34 may comprise oneor more batteries, a battery pack, a receptacle for receiving one ormore batteries or a battery pack, combinations thereof, and the like. Insome embodiments, the power source 34 may be rechargeable and beassociated with a charging port to receive electrical power forrecharging from an external device or system, such an electrical outlet.

The transmitter 24 is coupled with the sensing element 22 and operableto wirelessly transmit the pedal position signal provided by the sensingelement 22 for reception by the receiver 16. The transmitter 24 mayinclude any element or combination of elements operable to wirelesslytransmit the pedal position signal, including processors and antennas,for reception by the receiver 16. For example, the transmitter 24 caninclude radio and/or infrared transmitting elements. The transmitter 24may additionally include other elements to facilitate coupling with thesensing element 22. For example, the transmitter 24 may include or becoupled with an analog-to-digital converter, digital-to-analogconverter, and other signal processing elements. In some embodiments,portions of the transmitter 24, such as the antenna, may be positionedoutside of the pivotable housing 20 to facilitate signal transmission.However, in other embodiments, the transmitter 24 may be entirelyenclosed by the pivotable housing 20.

In some embodiments, the transmitter 24 may include a digital radiotransmitter, such as a ZigBee-compliant (IEEE 802.15.4) transmitteroperable to encode the pedal position signal into a plurality of digitalpackets. For example, the transmitter 24 may include an XBee radiomodule manufactured by MaxStream, Inc. of Lindon, Utah. However, othermethods may be utilized by the transmitter 24 to transmit signals,including Bluetooth, WiFi, ultra wide-band, Wi-Max, frequency and/oramplitude modulation, combinations thereof, and the like. Thetransmitter 24 may be adapted to transmit digital signals, analogsignals, and/or a combination of digital and analog signals. In someembodiments, the effective communication range between the transmitter24 and receiver 16 may controlled by varying the output power of thetransmitter 24.

In embodiments including the limit switch 30, the transmitter 24 may becoupled with both the sensing element 22 and limit switch 30. In suchembodiments, the transmitter 24 is operable to transmit the pedalposition signal in a manner that corresponds to the signals provided bythe sensing element 22 and transmitter 24. For example, thepotentiometer 26 can provide a potentiometer position signal, the limitswitch 30 can provide a limit switch position signal, and thetransmitter 24 can transmit the pedal position signal in a manner thatreflects both the potentiometer and limit switch signals.

Further, the transmitter 24 may also be coupled with the power source 34and transmit the pedal position signal with an indication of the statusof the power source 34, such as battery level. Thus, the pedal positionsignal transmitted by the transmitter 24 may indicate the position ofthe potentiometer 26, the status of the limit switch 30, and the statusof the power source 34. However, the pedal position signal may onlyindicate the position of the pivotable housing 20 as sensed by thesensing element 22 in some embodiments.

The pedal position signal may also identify and/or authenticate theoperator. For example, the operator may fully depress the pivotablehousing 20 three times, or in any other unique sequence, to cause thetransmitter 24 to transmit the pedal position signal with anidentification and/or authentication of the operator. Suchidentification can be used by the transmitter 24, receiver 16, andwelding system 12 to automatically provide configuration settingspreviously set by the operator in the event the control system 10 andwelding system 12 are used by more than one operator. The foot pedal mayalso include one or more functionable inputs 48, such as buttons,switches, and the like, that may be functioned by the operator foridentification and authentication purposes. The inputs 48 may also beused to turn the foot pedal 14 off and on.

In embodiments where the pedal position signal indicates more than theposition of the pivotable housing 20, use of digital radio methods totransmit the signal may be desirable to limit the amount ofcommunication required between the foot pedal 14 and receiver 16. Forexample, a single digital radio packet may indicate: one or morepositions of the pivotable housing 20 as sensed by potentiometer 26; thestatus of the limit switch 30; the status of the power source 34; theidentity of the operator; and/or various communication information suchas the identity of the transmitter 24 and the channel being utilized bythe control system 10.

In some embodiments, the transmitter 24 may be reprogrammed by theoperator to modify the manner in which the pedal position signal istransmitted. For example, the foot pedal 14 may include a transmitterprogramming interface 32, such as a USB, RS-232, or other wired orwireless data interface, associated with the transmitter 24 to enablethe operator to reprogram and/or otherwise communicate with thetransmitter 24. For instance, the transmitter 24 may be programmed toprocess, adjust, or otherwise modify the pedal position signal beforetransmission to the receiver 16, such as by modifying the minimum andmaximum values to be provided to the welding system 12.

In some embodiments the potentiometer 26 may provide a linear (direct)relationship between its output and the position of the pivotablehousing 20—such as by providing a 0% output when the pivotable housing20 has not moved and a 100% output when the pivotable housing 20 isfully depressed. Such a linear relationship may not be desirable in allenvironments and the transmitter 24 may be programmed to scale thesignal provided to the potentiometer 26 to more desirable levels—such asby correlating the maximum position indicated by the pedal positionsignal to where the pivotable housing 20 is depressed only 80% as sensedby the potentiometer 26. The receiver 16 may additionally oralternatively perform this functionality.

The transmitter 24 may also be programmed with a unique identifier,channel information, network information, and/or other communicationinformation to enable the transmitter 24 and receiver 16 to communicatewith limited interference from other devices. For example, in someembodiments, the foot pedal 14 may be one of several remote devicesassociated with the welding system 12 and the communication informationenables the transmitter 24 and receiver 16 to communicate withoutsignificantly interfering with the other remote devices. Further, thefoot pedal 14 may be associated with several welding systems 12 toseparately or simultaneously control their functionality.

In some embodiments, the fool pedal 14 may be configured for a sleepmode to extend the life of the power source 34. For example, if thesensing element 22 and/or limit switch 30 detect that the pivotablehousing 20 has not been depressed for a certain time period, the footpedal 14 may enter a sleep mode to only periodically utilize the sensingelement 22. The configuration of the sleep mode may be varied byutilizing the transmitter programming interface 32, such as by definingwhen and if the sleep mode should be utilized and the various sleep andwake time periods utilized by the sleep mode.

Referring to FIGS. 4-6, the receiver 16 is operable to receive signalstransmitted by the transmitter 24 and couple with the electrical controlinterface 18 of the welding system 12 to control the welding system 12based on the received signals. The receiver 16 may include an antenna 36operable to wirelessly receive signals transmitted by the transmitter24, a processor 38 coupled with the antenna 36 that is operable toprocess received signals, and a connector 40 coupled with the processor38 that is operable to connect with the electrical control interface 18to provide processed signals thereto. The various elements of thereceiver 16 may be discrete elements coupled together utilizing wired orwireless connections. In some embodiments, portions of the receiver 16,such as the antenna 36 and processor 38, may be integral.

The antenna 36 may be any element or combination of elements operable toreceive signals transmitted by the transmitter 24. In embodiments wherethe transmitter 24 transmits radio frequency signals, the antenna 36 mayinclude a radio frequency antenna and associated circuitry. For example,the antenna 36 may be matched with the transmitter 24 to ensure theproper reception of signals. In embodiments where the transmitter 24transmits infrared signals, the antenna 36 may be an infrared detector(photodetector). Thus, the antenna 36 is not necessarily limited toreceiving radio frequency signals using one or more conductive elements.The antenna 36 may be internal to the receiver housing and/or be anexternal antenna operable to couple with the receiver 16.

In some embodiments, the receiver 16 may include a relay 42 coupled withthe processor 38 and connector 40. The relay 42 is operable to switchwhen controlled by the processor 38 to mimic the functionality of thelimit switch 30, as is discussed in more detail below. The relay 42 mayinclude any controllable switches operable to be controlled by theprocessor 38, including latching relays, reed relays, polarized relays,machine tool relays, solid state relays, combinations thereof, and thelike.

The processor 38 is coupled with the antenna 36 and operable to processsignals for use by the welding system 12, such as by converting thesignal into an appropriate format for reception by the electricalcontrol interface 18 and use by the welding system 12. For example, thepedal position signal may be an encoded digital radio signal and theprocessor 38 may decode the digital radio signal to generate an analogratio metric signal for use by the welding system 12.

The processed pedal position signal provided to the welding system 12may be a digital and/or an analog signal. For example, the processor 38may include various switching elements and/or logic to present theprocessed pedal position signal as a variable voltage signal, a variablecurrent signal, a variable resistance signal, a pulse-width modulated(PWM) signal, an unencoded digital signal, an encoded digital signal,combinations thereof and the like.

The processor 38 may also scale the pedal position signal into a voltageor current range acceptable for use by the welding system 12. Forexample, the welding system 12 may require a 0-10V signal to be providedthrough the electrical control interface 18 to control welding current.If the amplitude to the pedal position signal received by the receiver16 is not within this range, the processor 38 may scale (e.g., amplify)the pedal position to the appropriate range. Such a configurationenables the receiver 16 to be adapted to universally couple with anywelding system 12 and electrical control interface 18 to provideappropriate control signals thereto.

The processor 38 may also process the pedal position signal to functionthe relay 42. For example, as discussed above, the pedal position signalmay include an indication of the status of the limit switch 30. In suchembodiments, the processor 38 may identify the status of the limitswitch 30 based on the pedal position signal and function the relay 42to correspond to the position of the limit switch 30. Such aconfiguration enables the control system 10 to be used with weldingsystems that require both a variable pedal position input and a limitswitch input (ground common or positive common).

For example, when the pivotable housing 20 is at least partiallypivoted, the limit switch 30 may close to provide the limit switchposition signal, which may be represented by the transmitted pedalposition signal. The processor 38 may process the pedal position signalto determine that the limit switch 30 is closed and provide anappropriate signal to the relay 42 to close the relay 42. Thus, therelay 42 may mimic the functionality provided by limit switches includedwithin conventional cabled control devices. Signals provided by therelay 42 may be represented by the processed pedal position signalprovided to the welding system 12 through the connector 40.

The transmitter 24 may transmit signals for reception by the receiver 16at any interval. In some embodiments where digital radio methods areemployed, a packet corresponding to the pedal position signal istransmitted about every 50 ms. However, the control system 10 may beoperable to vary this transmission rate to increase or decrease systemlatency. For example, system latency may be reduced by increasing therate at which the packets are transmitted. Alternatively, to reducepower consumption by the foot pedal 14 and receiver 16, the rate atwhich the packets are transmitted may be reduced.

The processor 38 may also provide other signal processing functions. Forexample, the processor 38 may process the pedal position signal toensure that the pedal position signal is authentic and not aninterfering signal transmitted by a device other than the foot pedal 14.For example, the processor 38 may be provided with a unique identifier,channel information, network information, and/or other communicationinformation to correspond to the communication information provided tothe transmitter 24. In some embodiments, the processor 38 may bereprogrammable to enable the operator to provide selected communicationand control information to the processor 38.

For example, the receiver 16 may include a receiver programminginterface 44, such as a USB, RS-232, or other wired or wireless datainterface, associated with the processor 38 to enable the operator toreprogram and/or otherwise communicate with the processor 38. Forexample, the processor 38 may be programmed to process the pedalposition signal in any desired manner before the signal is provided tothe welding system 12 through the connector 40. The processor 38 mayalso programmed with the communication information discussed above. Forexample, in some embodiments, the foot pedal 14 may be one of severalremote devices associated with the welding system 12 and thecommunication information enables the transmitter 24 and receiver 16 tocommunicate without significantly interfering with the other remotedevices. The receiver 16 may also be configured to receive controlsignals from remote devices other than the foot pedal 14.

The processor 38 may include any elements or combination of elementsoperable to perform the various functions discussed herein. For example,the processor 38 may include a computing device, a microprocessor, amicrocontroller, a programmable logic device, a digital signalprocessor, analog or digital logic, combinations thereof, and the like.In some embodiments, the processor 38 may include or be coupled with ananalog-to-digital converter, digital-to-analog converter, and othersignal processing elements.

The connector 40 is coupled with the processor 38 and operable toconnect with the electrical control interface 18 associated with thewelding system 12 to provide the processed pedal position signalthereto. In embodiments where the electrical control interface 18provides an interlace for a wired foot pedal, the connector 40 may mimicthe configuration of the connector utilized by the wired foot pedal toenable the control system 10 to easily replace the wired foot pedal.Thus, in some embodiments, the connector 40 may present a standardelectrical interface for connecting with the electrical controlinterface 18 of the welding system 12.

In some embodiments, the connector 40 may present a universal interfaceto connect with electrical control interlaces associated with aplurality of welding systems to enable the control system 10 to functionin a variety of environments. However, as the welding systems may eachpresent different electrical interface configurations, the connector 40may be adaptable by the operator to conform to a desired electricalinterface configuration. For example, the connector 40 may include aconnector base 40 a connected with the processor 38 and a plurality ofinterface harnesses 40 b corresponding to a plurality of electricalinterfaces utilized by different welding systems. Each interface harness40 b is operable to interchangeably mate with the connector base 40 a toenable the receiver 16 to couple with varying electrical interfaces.However, in some embodiments, the connector 40 may present a fixedelectrical interface or be replaceable with other connectors tofacilitate coupling with the welding system 12.

The connector 40 may also enable the receiver 16 and its variouscomponents to be powered by the welding system 12 by receiving anelectrical signal from the welding system 12. In some embodiments, thereceiver 16 may include power conditioning circuitry to enable it to bepowered by welding systems that present varying voltages and currents.Utilization of the connector 40 to receive power enables the receiver 16to be compactly configured without requiring an internal power sourcesuch as a battery or battery pack. However, in some embodiments, thereceiver 16 may include an internal power source to function independentof any power provided by the welding system 12 through the connector 40.

Further, the receiver 16 may receive other signals from the weldingsystem 12 through the connector 40. For example, the receiver 16 may beadapted to receive control, configuration, and/or command signals fromthe welding system 12 to dictate how the pedal position signal is to bereceived by the receiver 16 and/or processed and provided to the weldingsystem 12. Thus, for instance, the receiver 16 may receive communicationinformation from the welding system 12 to facilitate its communicationwith the foot pedal 14.

In some embodiments, the receiver 16 may include one or more indicators46 coupled with the processor 38 and operable to indicate the status thereceiver 16. For example, the indicators 46 may be operable to indicatethe status of the pedal position signal such as by illuminating whilethe receiver 16 is receiving the pedal position signal from the footpedal 14. The indicators 46 may also indicate the status of theconnection with the welding system 12, such as by illuminating when theconnector 40 is properly connected to the electrical control interface18. In some embodiments, the processor 38 may identify the status of thepower source 34 of the foot pedal 14 utilizing the pedal position signaland the indicators 46 may indicate the power source status to inform andalert the operator. The indicators 46 may include various indicatingelements such as LEDs, seven segment displays, LCD monitors, speakers,combinations thereof, and the like.

The control system 10 may be configured to reduce the lag time betweenoperation of the foot pedal 14 and the output provided by the weldingsystem 12. For example, the transmitter 24 may be configured to transmitthe pedal position signal with a slop command after the foot pedal 14 isreturned to its rest position to enable the receiver 16 to identify thatthe foot pedal 14 is at rest and immediately provide the appropriatesignal to the welding system 12 to halt operation. Alternatively, toincrease lag time, the transmitter 24 may stop transmitting as soon asthe foot pedal 14 returns to the rest position such that the receiver 16holds the pedal position associated with the last received pedalposition signal for a short time until it is determined that thetransmitter 24 has stopped transmitting.

In operation, the operator may connect the receiver 16 to the weldingsystem 12. For example, the operator may connect the connector 40 withthe electrical control interface 18 of the welding system 12. In someembodiments, the operator may select one of the harnesses 40 b forcoupling with the connector base 40 a to enable the connector 40 toproperly mate with the electrical control interface 18. The operator mayposition the foot pedal 14 in any desirable location and function thefoot pedal 14 by pivoting the pivotable housing 20. The sensing element22 senses the position of the pivotable housing 20 and the transmitter24 transmits the pedal position signal to the receiver 16. The processor38 processes the received pedal position signal, such as by decodingand/or scaling the signal, and the processed signal is provided to thewelding system 12 using the connector 40. The welding system 12 utilizesthe received signal to control its operation, such as by varying itswelding current in response to the pedal position. Thus, the operatormay continuously control the operation of the welding system 12 bychanging the position of the pivotable housing 20.

It is believed that embodiments of the present invention and many of itsattendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description,and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form,construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all ofits material advantages. The form herein before described being merelyan explanatory embodiment thereof, it is the intention of the followingclaims to encompass and include such changes.

What is claimed is:
 1. A receiver operable to be utilized with a weldingsystem including an electrical control interface, the receivercomprising: an antenna operable to wirelessly receive a pedal positionsignal generated by a remote foot pedal, wherein the pedal positionsignal transmitted by a transmitter includes an indication of a statusof a limit switch that is operable to be switched when a housing of theremote foot pedal is at least partially pivoted; a processor coupledwith the antenna and operable to process the received pedal positionsignal to define a control signal to vary the output current of thewelding system; and a connector coupled with the processor and operableto connect with the electrical control interface associated with thewelding system to provide the control signal thereto; the processorbeing operable to provide the processed pedal position signal in a formselected from the group consisting of a variable voltage signal, avariable current signal, a variable resistance signal, a pulse-widthmodulation signal, an unencoded digital signal, and an encoded digitalsignal.
 2. The receiver of claim 1, further including a relay coupledwith the processor and the connector, the processor operable to engageand disengage the relay based on at least a portion of the pedalposition signal.
 3. The receiver of claim 2, wherein the processed pedalposition signal provided to the welding system through the connectorincludes an indication of the relay position.
 4. The receiver of claim1, wherein the pedal position signal is an encoded digital radio signaland the processor is operable to decode the received pedal positionsignal to generate the processed pedal position signal.
 5. The receiverof claim 1, further including an indicator operable to indicate thestatus of the pedal position signal.
 6. The receiver of claim 1, whereinthe processor is operable to be powered by the welding system throughthe connector.
 7. The receiver of claim 1, wherein the processor isoperable to scale the received pedal position signal to generate theprocessed pedal position signal.
 8. A wireless control system for awelding system including an electrical control interface, the controlsystem comprising: a foot pedal including— a pivotable housing, asensing element coupled with the pivotable housing and operable to sensea position of the pivotable housing and provide a corresponding pedalposition signal, and a transmitter coupled with the sensing element andoperable to wirelessly transmit the pedal position signal; and areceiver including— an antenna operable to wirelessly receive the pedalposition signal generated by the foot pedal, a processor coupled withthe antenna and operable to process the received pedal position signalto define a control signal to vary the output current of the weldingsystem, and a connector coupled with the processor and operable toconnect with the electrical control interface associated with thewelding system to provide the control signal thereto, the processorbeing operable to provide the processed pedal position signal in a formselected from the group consisting of a variable voltage signal, avariable current signal, a variable resistance signal, a pulse-widthmodulation signal, an unencoded digital signal, and an encoded digitalsignal, wherein the foot pedal further includes a limit switch operableto be switched when the pivotable housing is at least partially pivoted,and the pedal position signal transmitted by the transmitter includes anindication of the status of the limit switch.
 9. The control system ofclaim 8, wherein the receiver further includes a relay coupled with theprocessor and the connector, the processor operable to identify thestatus of the limit switch using the pedal position signal and engageand disengage the relay based on the status of the limit switch.
 10. Thecontrol system of claim 8, wherein the sensing element is a rotarypotentiometer.
 11. The control system of claim 8, wherein the pedalposition signal is an encoded digital radio signal and the processor isoperable to decode the received pedal position signal to generate theprocessed pedal position signal.
 12. The control system of claim 8,wherein the processor is operable to scale the received pedal positionsignal to generate the processed pedal position signal.
 13. The controlsystem of claim 8, wherein the receiver further includes an indicatoroperable to indicate the status of the received pedal position signal.14. The control system of claim 8, wherein the receiver is operable tobe powered by the welding system through the connector.
 15. The controlsystem of claim 8, further including a receiver programming interfacecoupled with the processor and operable to receive a programming inputto modify the functionality of the processor.
 16. A wireless controlsystem for a welding system including an electrical control interface,the control system comprising: a foot pedal including— a pivotablehousing, a rotary potentiometer coupled with the pivotable housing andoperable to sense the extent to which the pivotable housing is pivotedand provide a corresponding potentiometer position signal, a limitswitch operable to switch when the pivotable housing is at leastpartially pivoted and provide a corresponding limit switch positionsignal, and a transmitter coupled with the potentiometer and limitswitch and operable to wirelessly transmit a pedal position signalcorresponding to the potentiometer position signal and the limit switchposition signal; and a receiver including— an antenna operable towirelessly receive the pedal position signal generated by the footpedal, a relay, an indicator operable to indicate the status of thereceived pedal position signal, a processor coupled with the antenna andrelay and operable to process the received pedal position signal todefine a control signal to vary the output current of the weldingsystem, identify the status of the limit switch using the pedal positionsignal, and engage and disengage the relay based on the status of thelimit switch, and a connector coupled with the processor and operable toconnect with the electrical control interface associated with thewelding system to provide the control signal thereto, the processedpedal position signal provided to the connector including an indicationof the relay position, the processor being operable to provide theprocessed pedal position signal in a form selected from the groupconsisting of a variable voltage signal, a variable current signal, avariable resistance signal, a pulse-width modulation signal, anunencoded digital signal, and an encoded digital signal.
 17. The controlsystem of claim 16, wherein the pedal position signal is an encodeddigital radio signal and the processor is operable to decode thereceived pedal position signal to generate the processed pedal positionsignal.
 18. The control system of claim 16, wherein the processor isoperable to scale the received pedal position signal to generate theprocessed pedal position signal.
 19. The control system of claim 16,further including a receiver programming interface coupled with theprocessor and operable to receive a programming input to modify thefunctionality of the processor.